Choosing Colours for Packaging that Make Sense

The key to successful packaging is choosing colours that make sense. In most cases, you will already have strong branding within your company; but when designing your packaging you must consider the meaning and perceptions of different colours and how to best use them with your custom packaging designs.

BRIGHT COLOURS: Bright colours will give your packaging a more playful/whimsical tone. Bright colours work extremely well in packaging for children and youth.

WHITE: White is the colour of purity, innocence and clarity. You have probably noticed a lot of hygiene, medical and cosmetics companies using a great deal of white in their packaging designs. Another thing to note is that using very light tones of blue or green will have a common effect.

BLACK: Black gives the impression of stability and power. It also is used a lot in higher-end products. Black is commonly used in jewelry packaging, gift boxes and sets, high-end fashion packaging, and high-end food packaging such as truffles.

RED: Red is the ‘exciting’ colour. It falls in similarly with bright colours above; but more specifically, red is generally associated with sophistication and edgy products.

GREEN: Green is associated with growth and harmony, but has become the colour of environmentally friendly packaging. Using kraft paperboard and green as the more dominant colour in your design will strongly suggest that your product is environmentally responsible.

YELLOW: Yellow can be seen in many different ways. Think about budget brands such as President’s Choice yellow label packaging. But on the other side, yellow can be used as a very happy and cheerful colour in packaging.

Two key points to remember:

– When choosing colours, you must consider which colours will set your apart from your competitors.

– Think about who your target market is. Choose colours that they can relate to and are drawn to.

Are you currently working on your packaging design and looking for some help with choosing colours? Contact us today and we would be glad to help you!